South Bay will Alliance hosts South Bay Pride at Memorial Park in Chula Vista on Sunday, Aug. 16, from noon to 7 p.m. South Bay Pride is an afternoon of food, live entertainment and Pride. This year’s event includes a children’s garden and a wine and beer garden. Rhythm and the Method, Latin Rhythm Creations and Roxy Blue will provide entertainment. South Bay Alliance’s mission is to build community among GLBT and friends in the South San Diego County. The event is free. Memorial Park is located at 373 Park Way in Chula Vista. For more information, visit www.southbayalliance.net or e-mail southbayalliance@cox.net.

Are you an 18-24 year old gay or bisexual man? Would you like a chance to make new friends while you learn ways to build healthier and more satisfying relationships? Then the “In the Mix” MPowerment Retreat may be for you. The weekend retreat in Julian, Calif., will take place on Aug. 21-23.

The weekend includes lively discussions and fun activities, allowing you to share your own experiences while gaining new ones. Participation is free, with lodging and meals provided. For more information or to register, contact Nicholas at nicholasl@fhcsd.org or 619-515-2446, ext. 2920.

Steve Hildebrand, the mastermind behind Barack Obama’s groundbreaking presidential campaign, will be the keynote speaker at the San Diego Democratic Club’s 2009 Annual Freedom Awards Reception at The Art Institute in Balboa Park on Saturday, Aug. 22, with the general reception and silent auction at 6 p.m. Keynote speaker and awards ceremony starts at 7:30 p.m.

The 2009 Freedom Award Honorees are: Brad Truax Human Rights Award – Congressman Bob Filner; J. Douglas Scott Political Action Award – Andrea Villa; Gloria Steinem Communications Award – Greater San Diego Business Association; R. Steven Pope Award for Volunteerism – Mark Gabrish Conlan; The President’s Award will be announced at the event.

Tickets to the reception are $65 through Thursday, Aug. 20th, $75 after. Ticket price includes, includes serve-yourself food stations, no host wine and beer bar, and silent auction. For more information, call 619-200-8194 or visit www.sddemoclub.org.

The board and staff of Diversionary Theatre hosted guests from Las Patronas, The Parker Foundation and San Diego City Councilmember Todd Gloria at the ribbon-cutting at the completion of the wheelchair lift installation project on July 14.

The new lift was part of a $294,000 project that replaced the 14-year-old wheelchair lift and brought the installation area up to current building codes and ADA standards. The lift provides access for elderly and differently-abled patrons to get from the first floor to the second floor theatre space.

Diversionary raised $171,000 in gifts in the past 14 months for the project, including lead gifts of $36,635 from Las Patronas and $35,000 from The Parker Foundation. Las Patronas is committed to providing financial assistance to nonprofit organizations in San Diego County that provide valuable community services in the areas of health, education, social services and cultural arts, and to continuing our tradition of service to enhance the quality of life in our community. The Parker Foundation was founded in 1971 for charitable purposes leading to the betterment of life for all people of San Diego County. Former City Councilmember Toni Atkins allocated $12,000 from District 3 for the project through discretionary TOT (Transient Occupancy Tax) funds designated to each council district. An anonymous donor gave a challenge match of $25,000, and the following Foundations each gave $5,000 each: Blachford-Cooper foundation, Mandell Weiss Charitable Trust, Kenneth & Harle Montgomery Foundation and Price-Galinson Collaborative Fund. Community member Maureen Steiner also gave a major gift.

In addition to the lead and major gifts, more than 440 households gave gifts of $10 to $1,000 in support of the project.

The board of Trustees funded the project with the $171,000 in these gifts, plus $25,000 from the theatre’s reserve fund (Henderson/Ramsey Estate Gift) and $98,000 from the refinancing of the mortgage when the Theatre took ownership of the building in January 2007.

Started in 1986, the mission of Diversionary Theatre is to produce plays with gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender themes that portray characters in their complexity and diversity both historically and contemporarily. Diversionary presents six mainstage shows per year, plus special events, many of which are collaborative events with other arts and GLBT organizations. More information on Diversionary is available at www.diversionary.org.

On Friday, Aug. 7, the National Touring Company of Wicked will host Wicked Under the Covers, an evening of cabaret performances. Held at Baja Betty’s, and produced by company members of Wicked, the event will feature cast and crew members of the touring company as well as special guest performers. The net proceeds of this one-night-only event will benefit Being Alive San Diego and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Produced by company members of Wicked, the event will feature members of the cast and crew of the touring company, including Katie Rose Clarke (Glinda), Richard H. Blake (Fiyero), Merideth Kaye Clark (Elphaba standby); performing covers of their favorite music. In keeping with the “under the covers” theme, and the late night hour, sleepwear is encouraged, both for the performers and the audience! In addition to the performances, there will be live and silent auction items, including the opportunity to bid on Wicked show-related items, as well as chances to join the company backstage at the Civic Theatre.

Admission to Wicked Under the Covers is by donation of $25. Tickets will be available at the door, or through Baja Betty’s – in person at 1421 University Ave., San Diego or by phone at 619-269-8510or by phone through Being Alive at 619-291-1400, ext. 317.

North Park Music Thing (NPMT), previously known as North By North Park (NXNP), is back for its second year to bring industry leaders and musicians together for a weekend of panel discussions, demo review sessions and live performances.

The annual three-day music and media conference will be held at the Lafayette Hotel, located at 2223 El Cajon Blvd. in San Diego, Aug. 7-9, 2009. A 150-musical act showcase on more than 18 San Diego venue stages will follow the workshops on Saturday, Aug. 8 and will highlight performances from bands and individual musicians from across the Southwestern United States.

“We’re excited to see North Park Music Thing build on the success of last year’s event,” said Kevin Hellman, founder of the San Diego Music Foundation. “This year we’re adding a Sunday Street Fest along El Cajon Blvd, which will feature three live music stages, international food court, live art shows and a variety of street vendors.”

NPMT’s featured speaker and performer is bassist and songwriter, Nathan East. A San Diego native, East has co-written and performed songs with George Harrison, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Eric Clapton and B.B. King, and served as a long standing member of Clapton’s studio and touring band. East played on Clapton’s Grammy award-winning Unplugged album, and also lent his talent to Clapton’s “Change The World,” which was awarded Song of the Year at the 1997 Grammy Awards.

Workshop discussions on Saturday and Sunday will be led by panelists with experience in various areas of the music industry including engaging social media in promotions, breaking into the music business, hiring a manager, songwriting techniques, and more. Panelists include Robbie Lloyd of Silva Artist Management, Peter Jesperson of New West Records, Nanci Walker of Universal Music Publishing, Amy Stevens of KROQ-FM (106.7), Casey Robison of BMI, Tim Mays of The Casbah, Albert Ching of OC Weekly, Josh Briggs of ASCAP, and Mike Locke of Rhino Records, among others.

All proceeds from North Park Music Thing will be donated to the San Diego Music Foundation, which seeks to enrich the San Diego music community by providing professional development opportunities and assistance to local musicians. The Foundation organizes the annual San Diego Music Awards show, recognizing the achievements of the local music community, and also encourages the next generation of musicians through its Taylor Guitars for Schools program, which has provided over 1000 guitars to 56 elementary schools in San Diego County, who include guitar in their music curriculum.

For more information on North Park Music Thing, including tickets, registration and information on how to apply to perform at Music Fest, please visit www.sandiegomusicfoundation.org.